COMMUNITY PROBLEM SOLVING PROJECT

Project A: E-Waste

By students: Rohaini Haji Abu Bakar and Charles Lim Wei Siong

Problems:
The latest electronic product is often superseded by a more updated version within a
matter of months, and becomes obsolete in a number of years. This creates a drive for
customers to purchase more, newer products, and for electronics companies to continue
producing them in vast quantities. Electronic goods, such as computers, monitors,
televisions, video players, mobile phones, CDs, tapes, and discs, end up in a number of
places. They may accumulate in homes and stores, adding clutter and consuming space.
Eventually they may be thrown out with regular household waste and end up at landfills
where they resist degradation and cause a permanent scar on the face of the environment.

Many components of electronic goods that are not recycled are actually re-usable, and are
untapped sources that many are unaware of. However, recycling facilities are not
available at most residential and commercial areas. Members of the public are ignorant of
the fact that electronic waste is an environmental concern and that it is hazardous to both
people and environment.

Figure 1. Dumping of e-waste.

Figure 2. Landfill at Sungai Akar.

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Possible solutions:
Computer vendors could set up schemes to assist customers in the recycling of e-waste.
Each electronic purchase should be accompanied by information about the correct and
environmentally friendly disposal of the product. Recycling facilities need to be made
available for e-waste, and these should be located near normal waste disposal and
recycling collection areas, or at some other easily accessible area. Strict laws for proper
disposal of e-waste should be drawn up and enforced. Greater awareness of the need to
recycle e-waste should be created in the Bruneian community.

Figure 3.
3. Old Computers piled up.
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Figure 4. Adverts (notice) to show recycling companies accepted the old computers and
cartridges for recycling.
Actions taken:
Project members drove to a recycling company in Brunei to investigate the extent of
electronic waste recycling in Brunei. Secondly, they researched and found computer
manufacturers to take back end of life computers and hardware products voluntarily.
Project members then used the information gathered by their findings to create pamphlets
and write a newspaper article that was published in one of the local newspapers, to raise
the awareness of the people of Brunei regarding the importance of recycling e-waste and
how one could go about recycling one’s e-waste. Finally, project members communicated
the outcomes of their study to the Department of Environment. The issue of electronic
waste is not only a matter of pressing importance to the community, but is a problem that
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can be tackled. An investment of time and effort now will continue to help the
environment for years to come.

Figure 5. Newspaper cutting about E-Waste (Published in Borneo Bulletin: Saturday 15th
October 2005 – Opinion Page).